Regional Main Streets Plan

Because the region’s success depends on all our communities.

Rural and Suburban Share of Growth in Halifax:

60%

The Centre Plan has slated 40% of growth for the Regional Centre, and the remaining 60% to our suburban and rural communities.

The majority of planning resources have gone to the Regional Centre in the past several years, and now the Centre Plan is nearly complete. Soon, our suburban areas will experience booming growth and development pressue, and yet plans for most of the municipality are decades old. In the twenty years since amalgamation, only two local plans have been enacted for rural areas. It’s time to get moving!

Every community needs a local main street plan:

To Support Local Business and Economic Development

To support active transportation and access to healthy food.

To reduce transportation-related CO2 emmissions.

To offer tourists unique places to shop and enjoy.

To make transit, stores and services accessible for low-income people.

To align development with keeping lakes and forests clean and healthy.

To put homes and business on transit corridors, supporting rapid transit.

To reduce the tax burden by better using existing infrastructure.

To further develop local identity and pride.

Places waiting for plans.

Growth Centres

The Regional Plan’s growth Centres are intended to have local plans. So far, only 3 have been completed

Transit-Oriented Development

The Integrated Mobility Plan has identified high-priority places for development on transit corridors. These opportunities need plans to be successful.

The Solution

1 Plan for Suburban Communities

1 Plan for Rural Communities

To create village centres and preserve connections with beautiful natural assets.

How it will work

Get what everywhere has in common out of the way.

Many elements of plans will be the same everywhere, such as how to measure heights. By not replicating these underlying mechanics, we can focus funds on what people most care about.

Zero in on what is unique in each place.

Identify what each community loves about where they live and what they would like to achieve, so the rules may reflect their specific aspirations. The goal is not a one-size-fits-all planning approach, but to reduce redundancy specifically to free up the resources necessary to ensure each community gets a tailor-made plan that matches their needs and aspirations.

Commit proper funding

$600,000 was invested to conduct the Centre Plan. Suburban and rural centres are critical to our future and deserve a similar investment.

Every time into the BMBCL brings new finds. Such a treasure we have here... (this may be a recurring theme, with no apologies!). Spring on the Hobson Lake trail. #BMBCL @MNH_Naturalists @NSNatureTrust @HRMUrbanForest @hfxplanning @HfxFieldNat @OurHRMAlliance @HikeNS

This map shows the sidewalks in urban & some suburban parts of #Halifax and #Dartmouth that are 2m or wider. The green routes would allow for safe physical distancing while walking & rolling. Most areas don't allow for people to walk to essential services & physically distance. https://twitter.com/kyleplans/status/1256220639087800320

HRM's initiation report on the Regional Plan Review was passed by council this morning. The Review will serve as the main opportunity to implement the #HalifaxGreenNetworkPlan to protect the #HalifaxGreenbelt